aggression 6 Flashcards
Definition of aggression?
behaviour designed to harm others of the same species- Scherer, Abeles and Fischer, 1975- can be verbal or physical depending on norms.
Has violence gone down since 1990?
Yes, but there is often a perception that it is increasing- increased focus on knife crime is partially responsible for this
What are biological theories of aggression?
argue we are predetermined to aggress and can be subdivided into psychodynamic theory and evolutionary theory.
What is the psychodynamic theory of aggression?
- two instincts: eros= life, thanatos= death
- death instinct redirected from the self towards others
-tension builds in the body which needs to be released as aggression to restore balance.
What is the evolutionary theory?
-we have evolved aggression as a means of ensuring the survival of the species- an instinct
- males fight other males for mating rights and dominance
- mothers fight off predators
- adaptive
problem- why are humans sometimes aggressive with their offspring
What do social and biosocial theories argue?
social environment can influence likelihood to aggress besides biology.
What is the frustration - aggression hypothesis by Dollard and Colleagues, 1939?
frustration at person or event–>anger redirected to less powerful target–>aggression
influenced by Freud’s redirection of aggression approach
What did Hovland and Sears, 1940 suggest?
showed a strong relationship between lynching of black people and economic downturns
What is the cognitive neo-association- alist model, Berkowitz, 1984?
viewing violent media–>network activation of aggressive thoughts, feelings, action tendencies–>aggression likelihood increase
aggressive media, weapons etc. prime aggressive thoughts, feelings, and action tendencies
What did Berkowitz and LePage, 1967 research?
-male college students given shocks by a confederate
- the more shocks they received the angrier they reported being
- p’s then evaluated the c’s performance by giving shocks in return
- situational cue condition - shotgun and revolver on nearby table; non aggressive objects or badminton racquets etc in the control condition
- the weapons effect
What is the excitation transfer model, Zillmann, 1979, 1988?
situation one- psychological arousal- anger at crashed computer–>residual arousal–>situation two- roomy moans about washing up –> anger/ aggression
What are theories that argue ‘nurture’?
nurture plays the greatest role but are distinct between social theories
-operant conditioning
-social learning theories
What is operant conditioning theory?
-direct experience
- behaviours are reinforced through rewards and punishment
What is social learning theory?
-similar to operant conditioning
- however behaviour can also be learned through observation- vicariously
bobo doll?
- aggression
-36 children aged 3-5
-watched an adult either play aggressively or not aggresively with bobo doll - watching aggression is not cathartic
- vicarious aggression
What are sex differences in aggression?
sex differences-men tend to be more aggressive than women
hormonal explanations - testosterone
What are personality differences in aggression?
Type A and B personalities
Friedman and colleagues
type A= ambitious, high achieving, perfectionists
type B= relaxed, uncompetitive, creative
theory was criticized- traits defining type B are not highly correlated within individuals
What is alcohol individual differences?
bailey and taylor, 1991 those who drink more susceptible to increased likelihood of aggression
taylor and sears, 1988- RT competitive task against another p. alcohol vs placebo conditions. social pressure across four blocks (none vs mild vs strong vs none). wining on a trial allowed delivery of shock to ‘opponent’. DV. intensity of shock. those in the alcohol condition used stronger shocks and were more susceptible to social pressure, even when the pressure was withdrawn
What is physical environment situated determinants of aggression?
- temperature- physiological arousal leading to stress- more assaults in hot weather- Harries and Stadler
cohn and rotton argue this is curvilinier - noise- psychological arousal leading to stress crowding; two processes 1)physiological arousal leading to stress 2) deindividuation, more anonymous, less identifiable
What is dehumanization?
victims of aggression are viewed as anonymous, less human. viewing an out group as less human and more animal legitimizes aggressive actions in the minds of in group members. most potent when legitimized by state apparatus.
